A Better Mother Than Her
by TheStormPow
Summary: A one-off that takes place immediately after the Season 2 finale. It explains the hardships that Rick's marriage has gone through, and elaborates as to why exactly they became so estranged.


The campfire snarled in the otherwise cold, pitch black night. Rick angrily turned around from his group, after just delivering the news of Shane's death. He began to walk at a reasonable pace away from the warming fire. He tightened his jacket as he walked into the unseen, knowing he wouldn't let his friends and family down. _There has to be something out here. It's not just another pipe dream._

After a certain point, Rick convinced himself that there was nothing to be found in these woods. Even he was not certain as to why he walked into the dark greenery. His subconscious was telling him he needed to be alone, perhaps. He stopped in his place as he bowed his head, wiping the nervous sweat off of his forehead. He blankly stared at the ground below him for a moment, thinking about the last twenty-four hours of his life.

Rick burst into tears. He was sobbing uncontrollably, yet trying to not make too much noise. The grass behind him rustled as he heard footsteps. There was no use in trying to stop the tears; he simply wiped the remaining ones off of his face as he turned around to see who was intruding.

"Look… Rick…" It was Lori.

Rick was speechless, despite the fact that Lori was the one that he needed to talk to the most. This situation had put a huge strain on their marriage – One that, considering there was an ongoing zombie apocalypse at the time, would seem insignificant to some.

"I did what you wanted me to do, Lori…" Rick blurt out. He knew what she wanted to talk about.

"I didn't want you to kill him"

"You said he was becoming an issue, and I dealt with the issue. If I'm going to lead this group, I'm gonna do it right," Rick paused for a moment as neither him nor Lori knew what else to say, "He said I couldn't make the tough calls.. Well that was the hardest call in the world," he turned around to face his estranged wife, "and I made it. I made the call, Lori."

"Rick… The reason why I was upset with you isn't just because I think you could have dealt with him in a less violent manne-"

"He had a gun, dammit! Didn't you hear me explain it to the rest of them?! If I didn't kill him, he was gonna kill me!"

"Let me finish! I've been worrying that Carl is getting just a little too friendly around guns for a boy his age. He was able to shoot Shane with little second thought…. Think about that for a second, Rick."

"Do I have to explain the situation to you again?! Shane was a walker! He wasn't Shane no more! He was gonna kill us and turn us into one of them monsters if Carl didn't pull the trigger. Carl saved my life and, in return, maybe a lot of other lives too! He's my boy, Lori-"

"He's not."

Rick stood silent. For a while now, the two of them had been bouncing rebuttals at each other without having to think of their retort. This time, Rick needed a few moments to fathom what he had just heard exit from his wife's lips, which were now so cold they were beginning to turn blue.

"What.. What did you just say to me?"

"Carl isn't your boy…. He's Shane's."

Rick once more stood in awe, flabbergasted at what Lori had just said to him.

"No.. You mean you two were playin' around even before the world turned to shit?"

"Y-yes… I… I feel awful for everything. I was never able to look at Carl normally.. I always knew that his entire existence was based off of a dumb, steamy affair."

"I don't know what to say…"

"You're surprisingly calm about all of this."

"Well, Lori… After the last things that you held dear in this shithole of a world fly away from ya, you tend to not be the most talkative son of a bitch around."

"So.. I suppose you want Carl and I out by tomorrow.."

"No. Just because Carl isn't my son, that doesn't mean he ain't my boy. Even if his genetics may not be mine, I'm the one who raised him. Carl means the world to me, and he needs a mother."

"He deserves a better mother than me."

"You're not a bad mother."

"What about being a bad wife?"

Rick glanced back at her for a moment, placed his hands around his pockets, and walked off without replying back in the direction of the camp.


End file.
